2017 NYIAS: Audi RS5 Coupe

Audi of America launches Audi Sport brand at 2017 New York Auto Show

Audi of America today launched the new Audi Sport brand at the 2017 New York International Auto Show. Representing the best in track-tested performance available from the four rings, Audi Sport models offer the perfect balance of driving dynamics, innovation and quality. Over the next 24 months, eight new Audi Sport models are scheduled to launch in the U.S. market.

Along with the development and manufacturing of the Audi R and RS models, the Audi Sport brand now extends to corporate motorsports, customer racing, Audi Sport collection, and performance parts.

“Audi is a brand built on progress, and for us, racing has been the lab where so much of that progress has been made,” said Scott Keogh, Audi of America president. “With the launch of Audi Sport in the U.S., we are excited to offer our customers even more products that benefit from the same developments and technologies first used in motorsport.”

Motorsports Heritage

The name Audi Sport, formerly quattro GmbH, is inspired by a long and successful tradition of motorsport. As far back as the 1930s, the legendary “Silver Arrow” models of the Auto Union were the ultimate benchmark on racing circuits worldwide. In the 1980s, the Audi Quattro with permanent all-wheel drive proved successful from rally competitions to the track tarmac. Since 2000, improvements in lighting technologies and combustion engines have played an instrumental role in earning the brand 13 victories at Le Mans.

In 2016, Audi developed the new R8 production car in parallel with the GT3 race car, the Audi R8 LMS. Both the R8 and the R8 LMS made significant performance gains, thanks to the close cooperation between race car engineers, motorsports specialists and production car developers. The result is a race car that shares approximately half of the same parts with its production counterpart including the V10 engine and ASF® lightweight multi-material construction.

Today, the production models continue to benefit from developments and technologies that were first used in motorsport.

New Audi Sport Model Line

As the halo for the Audi brand, the R and RS models embody the same history and credibility of their racecar counterparts that have won at the track, with the design and functionally that is suitable for daily use.

The following Audi Sport vehicles will join the R8 and the RS 7 models:

2017 R8 V10 Spyder
All-new 2018 TT RS and, for the first time in the U.S., the 2017 and 2018 RS 3 – launching this summer
The RS 5 Coupe will launch in the first six months of 2018. Featuring an all-new 2.9-liter TFSI® V6-biturbo engine with 450 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, the RS 5 accelerates from 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds.
Customer Racing

In 2009 Audi Sport launched the Customer Racing program with the Audi R8 LMS GT3 race car, offering customers vehicles specifically designed to compete in international GT3 racing. In 2016, the RS 3 LMS was launched as a more accessible entry point into customer racing, eligible to compete in the TCR series worldwide.

Now, joining the Daytona-winning R8 GT3, Audi Sport has developed an all-new race car for 2017 – the Audi R8 LMS GT4. Derived directly from the production R8 V10 coupe, the R8 LMS GT4 is the ideal race car for amateur campaigners in terms of purchasing price and cost of ownership. The R8 LMS GT4 will make its racing debut at the Nürburgring 24-Hour this spring.

Audi Exclusive

Audi exclusive is the brand’s interior materials and exterior paint customization offering, providing customers a near-limitless number of ways to personalize their vehicles. Audi exclusive offerings are available on the A6, A7, A8, R8 and RS 5 model lines.

Audi Collection

The Audi Collection serves to further integrate the Audi brand into each customer’s lifestyle, by offering premium items that feature elements and trademarks from the brand. For the performance enthusiast, Audi collection offers a full line of Audi Sport products, including apparel, office goods, and scale replicas of Audi Sport vehicles.